


These eyes behold a lot of what these hands cannot

by aces_low



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Language, Sex, mildly angsty, mostly fluffy, non-explicit violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 14:11:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8803891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aces_low/pseuds/aces_low
Summary: Joe's hands can be so many things all at once. Luz loves them all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is not meant to be a representation of the real men. This is just a story based on the characters from the HBO series.

When they first meet, George isn’t really impressed with Joe Toye. 

That probably has something to do with the fact that the first time they meet is when Luz is just about to take a sip of his drink and a man falls almost completely on top of him. Half of his drink covers his shirt, while the rest spills onto the floor. 

He’s about to give the man a piece of his mind when he realizes that the guy is down on the ground, with the rest of Luz’s drink. He only has a moment to realize the guy is unconscious before another one is walking up. The new guy slams his bloody hand on the bar, leaving some money behind. He looks at Luz, notices the state of his shirt, and says “sorry,” before he and two other guys quickly leave the bar, presumably before any cops show up. 

So, no, Luz is not impressed with some random guy who gets into bar fights and whose fists can knock a guy out cold.

 

The next time they meet, they actually meet. Malarkey wants to introduce him to some of his friends, and the minute Luz approaches him he recognizes him as the guy who knocked another man unconscious nearly on top of him. 

He remembers bloody fists, a soaked to the bone shirt, and a quick apology. When he reaches out to shake Luz’s hand, Luz hesitates for a moment. He says his name is Joe in a voice that’s made of whiskey and smoke and Luz doesn’t hesitate any longer. 

His hand shake is surprising though. Luz had expected rough hands, and a hard shake from Joe. Instead, he feels smooth hands, soft hands, a strong shake but nothing as rough as his voice and earlier actions had suggested. It takes Luz longer than it should to let go.

 

When they move into their first apartment together Luz is once again reminded of Joe’s strength. He can sometimes forget, because Joe’s not large or bulky. He’s lean and powerful, and most of his body mass is from muscle alone. 

So, Joe has no problem lifting and moving and shifting all their heavy furniture around without breaking much of a sweat. While Luz is red in the face and gasping for breath after the sixth time he’s had to climb up the steps leading to their new apartment. 

Joe just laughs and moves past him, suggesting that maybe Luz should join him at the gym a little more often. If Luz had any more energy he might feel embarrassed. But once the last of their stuff has been unpacked and put away, Joe lifts him up and carries him into their new bedroom, gripping him securely with strong hands, and he thinks he’s doing just fine.

 

Joe’s hands rest gently on Luz’s forehead before he replaces them with his lips for a moment. He tells Luz that he definitely has a fever and he’s not allowed out of bed for the rest of the day. Luz groans but buries himself back under the covers, letting Joe tuck him in like he’s a child. 

They’ve only been in their new apartment for a week and Luz has already contracted some kind of virus. But Joe does a good job at playing nurse for him, making him drink plenty of fluids and tenderly smoothing the hair from his sweaty forehead. Luz finally drifts off to sleep, gripping one of Joe’s soft hands in his own.

 

Luz wakes up slowly, the fog from his illness and cough medicine dissipating slower than he’d like. He wonders for a moment what had even woken him, when he hears “help! Someone!” coming from outside the bedroom window. The next moment he realizes that Joe’s side of the bed is empty, but warm. He has a minor panic that it’s Joe calling for help, but realizes immediately that his voice doesn’t sound anything like that. 

Fumbling out of bed, he reaches for his cell phone, noting his body is still a bit shaky and weak. He’s not sure what to do, doesn’t know if he should call 9-1-1, he knows that Joe is probably down there by now. He looks out the window, but is unable to see anything in the dark alleyway behind their apartment. His spiked adrenaline mixed with his drugged and sick body makes him feel a little light-headed and he has to sit down for a second. 

“God, _thank you_ ,” he thinks he hears after just a few moments, and the voice sounds like it might be the same one from before, the one calling for help. 

It’s only about a minute later that Luz hears Joe in the apartment again. He stops off to wash his hands in the bathroom, and Luz idly wonders if there is blood on his knuckles this time. The bedroom door opens slowly and he can see, with the help of the hallway light, Joe’s panicked face when he doesn’t see Luz in bed. The room is small enough that he quickly notices Luz resting against the back wall by the window though.

“What are you doing up?” he asks, quickly making his way over and easily pulling Luz up from his sitting position.

“Is everything ok?” Luz mumbles into Joe’s neck, wrapping his arms around his bare torso. He absentmindedly realizes that Joe must have gone outside in just his underwear and shoes. He’d probably laugh at that if his head didn’t feel like goo.

“C’mon, get in bed, everything’s fine,” Joe assures, slowly leading Luz back to bed, feeling his forehead and cheeks with his hands discreetly as he pushes him to lay down.

“What was it?” 

“Mugger,” Joe explains simply, pulling the covers up to Luz’s chin again.

“Should we call the cops?” His words are beginning to come out in slurs, but he watches as Joe walks around to his side of the bed.

“Probably, but the guy didn’t want to, so,” Joe finishes with a shrug. He slides in next to him and wraps his arms around him.

Before he falls asleep, Luz extracts himself enough from Joe’s hold so that he can grab his hand and place a kiss to the bruised knuckles.

 

The grip on his hips is tight and perfect and he bends down again to capture another moan against his tongue. His breathing hitches as Joe pushes up again slowly, and Luz tries, in vain, to move faster, push them forward. But Joe’s hands keep him from moving as much as he’d like and he nearly whines at the restriction. 

This is one of their biggest points of contention, because Luz always wants to go fast and hard, while some days Joe will only fuck him deep and slow. Luz can’t even actually complain about it, because it’s always so good that his body is nearly vibrating from aftershocks after the fact, but in the moment, it feels like the best kind of torture. 

Joe sits up and wraps his arms fully around him, and a sharp whine escapes Luz’s throat without his permission. He can’t even be embarrassed because his whole body feels like it’s on fire as they attempt to kiss, but really just share breath as their lips occasionally brush against each other. 

Finally, _finally_ Joe loosens his tight embrace enough to wrap his hand around him carefully, almost teasing. Luz nearly sobs and pushes again, even though there’s nowhere for him to go, they’re about as close as they can physically be, and Joe’s grip doesn’t tighten at the silent request. 

Even so, it only takes a few strokes and encouraging words, mumbled against the sensitive skin of his throat, for his orgasm to wash over him. Joe holds him tightly through it, his arms unyielding as Luz’s body shudders in them. 

His body is sated and pliant against Joe’s as he thrusts three, four, five more times and comes with a groan against Luz’s slack mouth. Luz grins and leaves little kisses along the overheated skin on Joe’s neck and shoulders as his breathing begins to even out. Once he’s sure Joe has caught his breath, he captures his mouth in another kiss, this one more biting and playful. 

He shivers with the contrast of the rough kiss and the soft, caring hand that Joe brushes up and down his back.

 

Luz is furious. Neither of them speak as they walk into the apartment, Joe follows him into the kitchen and leans up against the counter. Wordlessly, Luz pulls Joe’s hands underneath the faucet, cleaning off the blood that’s already dried. He’s sure he’s being too rough with him, his hand might actually be broken this time, but Joe doesn’t flinch, probably because he knows Luz won’t be sympathetic.

Because they’re too old for this shit. They’re too old to be getting into bar fights because some guy doesn’t know how to take no for an answer from him. They’re quickly passing that point of their life. They’ve talked about getting married, they’ve talked about having kids. Married people with kids don’t get into fist fights with random dickheads on the weekends. 

Luz quickly bandages up Joe’s hands, he’s pretty much an expert by now, before sitting down at the kitchen table. Joe leans back against the counter again and absentmindedly massages his hand, and Luz waits. 

Finally, after a few minutes Joe lets out a long breath.

“I’m not going to apologize,” he says quietly.

Luz wants to bang his head against the table.

“No, because that would mean admitting that you overreacted. God forbid you’re ever wrong about anything!”

“You were scared.”

That stops Luz from the rant he’s been wanting to go on.

“What?”

“I could tell, when he grabbed you, you looked fucking terrified.”

Luz doesn’t really know what to say to that, because the truth is, Joe’s not wrong. He had been terrified of the grip on his arm, he’s sure he’ll have bruises – and won’t that just be a joy for Joe to notice later. 

“I was scared,” he admits. “But that doesn’t mean you break the guy’s nose. You could have just pulled me away and we could have left.”

“But-“ Joe tries to argue but Luz cuts him off.

“No, Joe, if we’re really going to do this, if we’re going to have a future and a family together I don’t want to have to worry about you being arrested for assault. Even if your intentions are good.”

And Joe must be able to tell that he means this, because Luz is rarely ever this serious. He pulls out another chair so that he’s sitting right in front Luz and he puts his hands on either side of his face, gripping it just hard enough so their eyes meet.

“I promise that I am always going to be here with you. I’m not going to jeopardize us just to beat some asshole’s face in, even if he does deserve it.”

Luz can see the conviction in Joe’s eyes, so he smiles and forgives him. The bandage on Joe’s hand scratches at his cheek and Luz holds his hand gently, pressing his face against it for just a moment.

 

When their daughter is born Joe’s hands become awkward and unsure, but quickly return to strong and steady as he gains confidence. He uses them to pick her up and hold her high enough that she feels like she’s flying, and to soothe away the occasional nightmares. He builds playhouses and swing sets and rearranges her room every few months when she declares it needs a change, without a groan of protest. While also using them to hold her small hand as she walks into an unknown situation, to give her baths, and to hold her as they dance around the living room to his old records.

To Luz, Joe’s hands and arms mean safety and strength but also comfort and warmth. When he wraps his arms around him, or when his hands are holding him, Luz knows he’s home.

 

His hands are just one of the things Luz loves about him.

**Author's Note:**

> It's a bit different than my other stuff, so hopefully you all like it.
> 
> I don't know, I have so many feelings about Joe Toye, you guys.


End file.
